Tuesday, November 29, 2016

The United States has become a banana republic. The mainstream media won't report it. But there is a pattern to the disintegration of our democracy. This has
happened four times now since the year 2000 – where the frontrunner
Presidential candidate, who had committed to do something about
Climate Change, has lost due to cheating (such as gerrymandering,
poll closures in poor communities, purging of voter rolls, likely
remote control of vote counting, and essentially every other dirty
trick in the book). Those unfortunate candidates were Al Gore, John
Kerry, Bernie Sanders, and now Hillary
Clinton.

“In order to believe that
the official vote tallies are legitimate, you have to accept that all
of the above legitimately happened: African-Americans in the south
went from turning out in droves for Hillary Clinton in the primary to
not caring if she won the general election. Donald Trump got
sixty-something percent of the same-day voting in Florida. The
polling averages were wrong for the first time in modern history.
Trump beat his poll numbers despite having spent the primary season
tending to fall below them. Clinton fell below her poll numbers
despite having spent the primary season tending to beat them. In
every state where Trump pulled off a shocking upset victory, he just
happened to do it with one percent of the vote. And in an election
that everyone cared particularly deeply about, no one really turned
out to vote at all. I can accept any one of the above things
happening as an isolated fluke. I cannot accept all the above
happening. And so for once in my evidence-driven career, I’m left
to believe that the conspiracy theorists are right: the vote tallies
are rigged.”

Want
to know who's behind all of this? Follow the money. What giant
industry has the most to gain by electing Climate Change denying
Republicans? We all know the oil companies have pumped huge
sums of money into the elections. We all know the oil companies spend
huge sums of money advertising on mass media (obviously
to manipulate our news). And we all should know that this is our
money being used against us.

They
now have the capacity to steal a landslide election. And they may
have had that ability for quite a few years now. Maybe that's why
Obama's energy policy pretty much up until the end of his second term
has been “all of the above.” Maybe that's why pro-renewable
Energy Czar Van Jones stepped down without a fight. Maybe Obama
suspected that there was literally no way he would ever win an
election if he tried to do something about Climate Change – no
matter how many people voted for him.

It's
now blatantly obvious that the oil companies care more about keeping
their multi-billion dollar income streams than the truth, our
democracy, or even the future of life on the planet.

A
recent study, published in Science
(Advances) has concluded that if carbon dioxide emissions
continue on their current trajectory, the U.S. West will have a
greater
than 90% probability of a megadrought. This is very
serious. A megadrought decimated the Anasazi civilization – and
there are millions more people now living in the Western States. Need
I remind you that the most recent drought death toll for trees in
California now is over
100 million trees.

Twenty
years ago, everyone (Republican and Democrat) agreed that we had
to do something about Global warming. Yet today, with the scientists'
most dire climate predictions literally coming
true (or
worse); there is controversy. It's so blatantly obvious that
money, not common sense, has changed the politicians minds.

As
former President Jimmy Carter recently said; America has become an
“oligarchy with unlimited political bribery.”

Subsidies
and tax breaks are the only reason fossil fuels are still
competitive with renewable energy – and there is no end in sight
for these subsidies – no matter how many billions the oil
companies make.

Fracking
is essentially trading fresh water for oil and gas.

Deep
water oil drilling is so risky we're practically guaranteed more big
spills.

And
going to war over oil hasn't made us safer. It has only driven us
further into debt.

Nonetheless,
for another four years, we can expect a repeat of Bush/Cheney oil
politics. Which means there will likely be even more war.

(There has recently been a
revolution in biology, and for the first time in history there may
soon be biblically effective biological weapons. Which means that the
election cheaters have likely given an obvious racist access to
weapons that might be able to kill off whole races of people.

But do the oil companies care?
The First World burns most of the gas. So, if the poor of the world
were to die off, that would just mean the First World could burn more
gas.

I'm not saying that a biowar
is inevitable. But the destruction of our democracy is well under
way. And the consequences of that could be far worse than we ever
imagined.)

We
now know that government really is the
problem – so long as it is a puppet of the fossil fuel industries.

Fortunately,
we can do something about the destruction of our
democracy, the addictive dependence of our economy on oil, and the
mass extinctions already happening in our Environment. This too, is
obvious. We can stop buying oil products. That's it. Without as much
money, they won't be nearly as powerful. Stop feeding
the beasts!

This
won't be easy. But the alternative appears to be living in a fascist
state with a failing economy due to a collapsing Environment – or
worse.

I
already drive as little as possible, keep my earth-bermed house below
60 degrees in the Winter, installed solar panels, and grow a garden
so I won't have to import all my vegetables from the
other side of the planet… But that just isn't enough.

So
I've decided to do this:

(Will
it be enough? Of course not, but I've got to do something.)

I'm
designing an electric scooter – that will hopefully replace some
(maybe even many) cars soon. It will be different from all the
scooters now available – especially how it will be marketed. I hope
to start a local cooperative to help in making components for it from
recycled materials. And then I plan to provide custom frame kits that
can be assembled right in the local bike shop. I'm convinced that
this fair marketing concept could provide promotable value to local
manufacturers and independent bicycle retailers. We might even change
Capitalism a little...

Thursday, August 11, 2016

I'll warn you now that I
will be writing about death. But my intent is to write about life.
Actually, I intend to write about maximizing my experience of life.
And the best way to maximize our experiences is to live them healthy.
And the healthiest way to live is with humility.

I have learned at least
twice now in my life how vitally important humility actually is.

When I was young, I had
bad sinus allergies. During allergy season, my sinuses were running
all the time. There was constant sneezing. One sinus or the other was
plugged up most of the time. And of course, I was miserable. This
lasted for a few weeks out of the year, every year, since about the
time my brother died.

I hadn't really thought
about this until I just wrote that…

…

My bother's death was a
tragedy.

Tragedy results in fear.
Fear leads to overreaction.

The classic coyote story
conundrum... I wanted to control the uncontrollable.

I wasn't religious. So, I
couldn't just pray and wait. I had to do something. And that
something was to be prepared for any circumstance. I wasn't a gun nut
or anything. But I was always on alert. Always trying to be aware.
Always a little afraid.

I wasn't paranoid.
Actually, I thought I was doing just fine. In the eyes of society;
was. Good at school. Never got into trouble. I was afraid to even
hang out with the bad kids. (Of course, that might have turned out to
have been a good decision.)

My point is that I wanted
to control the uncontrollable – my life. And I was smart enough to
think that maybe I could.

But it would take a lot of
effort. Emotionally, I never rested. I was over-stressed (quite a
common condition, I hear.) And, of course, I had sinus allergies,
which added to my stress.

But one day, when I was
about 14 years old, the stress and the illness were just too much for
me. I wasn't about to put up with the sinus problems any more. I had
to mow the lawn that day. I was expecting a sinus event and I was not
looking forward to it. So, I was desperate enough to try something
different.

I accepted my
vulnerability, summoned my inner peace, and confronted my issues
without fear… and instantly I no longer had allergies any more.

It was amazing. It was as
if I had just decided not to have allergies – and it worked.

But I never documented
what I did. And since there wasn't a problem any more, I ceased to
think about it.

At least, I ceased to
think about it until my late 40's – when my sinus allergies came
back… and I couldn't repeat what I achieved back when I was 14.

I guess watching my
parents getting old was freaking me out.

I dread the anguish of
them passing. I dread the loneliness.

There it was again –
that urge to control the uncontrollable. There I was again –
wishing I could do something to prevent death and dying – rather
than accepting death as a part of life.

As I look back at it –
it seems silly. We might be able to extend our lives – but we all
will eventually die. Nonetheless, somewhere deep down inside of me; I
did not want to accept that. I wanted to believe I could avoid the
pain. So, I constantly worried about it. And I suspect that because
of that; my stress levels rose. And because that, I wasn't living at
optimum level. And I suspect because of that; my sinus allergies came
back.

I tried for years, every
Fall; to repeat what I had achieved back when I was young. It helped.
But I couldn't quite go back to that mental state I had had for
decades. It was so frustrating – which, of course, made it worse.

Last Fall, my allergies
got bad enough that I ended up with an ear infection. Fortunately,
antibiotics took care of it – but there's something very scary
about having an infection so close to my brain.

As I write this, it is
mid-July – just about the time my allergies come back. I wasn't
looking forward to it. But I thought at least I could go outside for
a while before things got bad again. So, I decided to go backpacking.

I love the mountains. I
love to spend time in them. I love the feeling of being away from it
all – while at the same time being right in the middle of what
really matters.

My plan was simple –
four days, out and back, alone.

This would be the first
time I'd ever been backpacking alone.

I'd camped alone, and it
felt a little lonely. So, I haven't really gone out often alone.

(Good news: I never felt
lonely. But more on that later…)

As I said earlier; I
healed myself when I was young simply with an epiphany. I don't
believe it's necessary to go out on some kind of walkabout alone in
the wilderness to rid yourself of an allergy – but it worked for
me. I needed time away from the distractions.

I now know why I wanted to
be away for a while – alone.

I was holding onto
irrational fear.

I needed to let it go.

I needed time to myself to
learn about me.

As I look back; I've
always been a little edgy outdoors – almost to the point of being
jumpy. I've always tried to be alert – maybe a little too alert. If
a bug touched my skin, I'd immediately jump. If a leaf touched my
skin, I'd immediately jump. If I saw flowers, I'd be worried that
maybe they would stir up my allergies.

Of course, none of this
kept me indoors.

But I could have had a
better time outdoors. I could have been happier.

On the first two days of
my hike, my nose ran and ran. I was too late. It was allergy season
already. I did what it seemed like I always did, I put up with it –
hoping it would go away. Which, of course, it didn't. (Probiotics
have helped. My favorites are Natures Plus ear, nose, & throat
lozenges and kimchi. Of course, I didn't have any kimchi with me.)

By the morning of the
third day; I was beginning to feel good with sleeping on the ground,
exposed and vulnerable. It was then that I noticed that my sinuses
weren't quite as bad as they had been. I had slept in a meadow... and
I wasn't a wreck.

This inspired me to take
the next step:

I was siting on the branch
of a fallen tree under the shade of another tree at the edge of a
meadow. I didn't have my shirt on and the tall grass was rubbing
lightly up against my bare back. I could see there was no risk, but
up until then being touched by these grasses made me feel
uncomfortable. But it was my choice to sit there. And for the past
two days I had been reminding myself that these plants were my
friends (and that I just didn't know it yet). So, I decided to treat
them like friends. I let them rub lightly against my back until I
felt truly comfortable with it.

And almost instantly I was
healed.

This experience reminds me
of the Christian “Serenity” prayer.

Actually, this prayer is
not from the Bible. It was written in the 1930's by an American
theologian. Which means these common sense words were not written in
stone. So I created my own version:

I grant
myself the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

the courage
to change the things I can,

and the
wisdom to know the difference.

...Because, for the most
part; I'm the one who decides whether to be serene, courageous, or
wise.

And now I know: I've tried
being too courageous, and it's cost me serenity. That's wisdom
learned the hard way.

I had found my “happy
place” and I had been right there all along.

When I learned to feel at
peace with the world, I suddenly learned how to stop fighting it
unnecessarily.

It felt like I was home
out in the wilderness.

And now; the flowers are
more beautiful to me than they ever have been before.

…

At my campsite on the
fourth morning, I heard a cry out from behind the brush and trees
above me less than 100 meters away. It sounded like a fawn. And it
sounded like mountain lion was trying to kill it. Then it cried out
again. And again and again. It was a terrible sound I won't soon
forget. And it reminded me of something.

I am going to die. I am
going to die someday. No matter what I do. My death will happen. It
will probably be painful. It will likely involve a lot of anguish and
grief. I might even be screaming in pain like that poor fawn I could
hear – calling out, over and over again for a rescue that was never
coming – for an option it didn't have – for a chance to change
the past.

I imagined it was me. I
imagined myself screaming in anguish. I imagined this as an allegory
for my future – and that it was inevitable.

In some ways, my life is
no more under my control than the ants I had carelessly stepped on
while I was hiking.

The thoughts were awful,
but liberating.

In a way, I had been lying
to myself. Somewhere, deep down in my almost subconscious thoughts; I
believed that I could defend myself from the inevitable.

While I've been preparing
for the worst, looking everywhere for ghosts, and fighting windmills;
I've been missing out on life. I could rest now.

Later on, I also realized
that everyone I care about is destined to die. It is likely I am
destined to hear some of them screaming in anguish too. That is my
fate. And though I could probably change things for the worse, I
won't be able to change things for the better.

…

Since my epiphany; I
noticed (while on a somewhat frustrating mountain bike ride) that
when I started feeling overly vulnerable, I started to sneeze again.
Stress from the fear of crashing my mountain bike and the pounding of
my body against the rocks appears to trigger a mild allergic reaction
in me. Apparently; I'm allergic to crashing. Actually I'm allergic to
the thought that I cannot control my actions on a mountain bike –
and that I cannot avoid trauma. I occasionally spaz. Even though I've
been riding for 30 years now, I still seem to forget everything
once in a while. That leads to an almost mild panic attack. I can
still ride, I just don't ride as well – or enjoy it as much...
Stress does that.

Humility is now my best
defense from stress. I have to admit to myself that I cannot keep
myself perfectly safe. It isn't possible. It isn't even worth the
effort to try. I'm not a perfect rider, and therefore I will make
mistakes. If there wasn't a risk, it wouldn't be as exciting. And if
I'm not willing to get scuffed up once in a while, go find another
sport... I'm not willing to quit. So, I have to accept that someday I
will likely fall... and it's not worth worrying about. I have to
accept my vulnerability – and own it. And when I relax, I ride so
much better.

…

About a couple of weeks
after my epiphany, I woke up one morning with my sinuses all stuffed
up again. It took me the rest of the day practicing what I had
learned to get back to a well state. Apparently, I had somehow
dreamed about something that brought back my allergies.

And oddly, when I first
got my allergies back as an adult, it started when I witnessed
someone else with allergy problems. It was as if I caught her
allergies. But I think for me it was more like I caught a yawn that
wouldn't go away. I guess, in a way, empathy can spread disease. By
empathetically feeling her pain, I must have somehow copied her
painful process.

The word psychosomatic
comes to mind – but only for me. I make no assessment of anyone
else's allergies. I also am not bothered to be labeled as once having
a psychosomatic illness. I did nothing wrong – except to
unknowingly overreact to a perceived health threat. I learned from
the experience. And now I feel healthier in multiple ways. We all
have health issues throughout our lives. What's important is that we
heal.

Now, when my sinuses act
up – which they sometimes still do a little; I repeatedly remind
myself not to fight it… and I don't – and neither does my body.
That's not only peaceful, it's empowering.

…

Though I made it sound
like I accomplished all of this by myself, I had a lot of help:

I want to thank
chiropractor Joseph D. Kepo'o for the balloon treatment he performed
that opened up my sinus cavities.

I want to thank Chinese
medicine doctor Robert Cozzie for helping me understand how to turn
what Western doctors condescendingly call the “placebo effect”
into my primary health strategy.

I want to thank life coach
Carol Reynolds for giving me permission to be this honest with
myself.

And I want to thank my
Native ancestors for living a healthy sustainable life in this
beautiful place so that I too could enjoy it now – more like they
did than I ever have before.

Friday, April 29, 2016

This was my second "public comment" at the Legislative Commission's Subcommittee to Study Water on April 22, 2016:

One of the biggest
faults of Nevada Water Law has been with us since it was originally
written. And looking back, the reason is obvious. Back when the
miners, ranchers and farmers got together to divy up Nevada's water;
they obviously didn't want to share any with the Indians. So they
defined water “use” as not what Indians did with
water. In other words, Nevada Water Law essentially does not
define truly sustainable water use as “use.”

This is a crucial
flaw that has ultimately led us in the misguided direction and
over-appropriated condition we now find ourselves.

In my opinion;
Nevada water law, at it's very core, promotes waste.

Because Nevada water
law considers truly sustainable use as waste.

The irony is
terrifying.

Essentially, here in
the desert; the only legal use of water is to expend it.

My ancestors have
lived sustainably here for over 10,000 years. But with
over-appropriated water use, many parts of Nevada could be
uninhabitable in less than 200 years.

Nevada water law
needs to more rationally consider sustainable use, the environment
that supports sustainable use, and future generations that will
depend on us sustainably using what water there is.

We critically need
to start thinking long-term while that option is still available to
us.

This was my first "public comment" at the Legislative Commission's Subcommittee to Study Water on April 22, 2016:

Please don't
commodify Nevada's water.

I warn you now; we
will not want to pay speculator driven “market”
prices for our water.

We already have
hedge funds investing in Nevada's water. Obviously, they're hoping
that the “market price” will go through the roof. In Australia,
where the commodification of water has been called “unbundling,”
speculators have drastically driven up the price of water for water
users. Consequently a huge number of farms have been driven out of
business, urban users have faced severe restrictions, and Australia's
environment has suffered dire consequences.

In Israel, where
there is no legal doctrine of prior appropriation rights; some
Israelis have claimed that they have solved their water problems with
a free-market solution. Of course; most Americans have now realized
that the term free-market actually means; the freedom for the
powerful to take from the rest of us. Part of Israel's
“solution” is to take water from the Palestinians. There are
places in Palestine where the Palestinians and their crops go thirsty
because the water under their feet is being exported to Israel. As a
Rural Nevadan of Native American heritage, I don't want to be treated
like Israel treats Palestinians.

I can see where the
SNWA would want to change Nevada's water laws so that the water from
the ranches they bought can be exported. But commodification is not
the way to do it. The cost to everyone in the State is
not worth it.

In the end; if all
that matters about water is the price, only those with money to pay
the over-inflated prices will have water.

Monday, October 12, 2015

When the
appointments to the Nevada Drought Forum did not
include anyone from Rural Nevada areas at risk of
having our water taken, we in Rural Nevada were suspicious. Now we
know why. The Nevada Drought Forum has recommended that we cast aside
Nevada water law (that has served us for over a century) and start
over with a new set of rules – which they call the “unbundling of
water rights.”

Again and again we
have seen in America that when the law doesn't allow the greedy to
take what they want, the greedy try to change the law. They usually
try to do this behind the scenes – with the least amount of
democratic process. And they try to convince us this is all for our
own good – by wrapping themselves in the “freedom” flag of
“free” trade. But for decades now, we have seen that “free”
trade has nothing to do with “fair” trade. Follow the money. The
filthy rich are getting richer, and the rest of us are not.

Over a decade ago,
we saw the world reject water privatization as an instrument for
price gouging, anti-competitive behavior, corrupt practice, and
fraud. But being discredited doesn't stop the greedy. They just
repackage the scam, come up with new terms, and try to change the
laws again.

It's blatantly
obvious that “unbundling” of water rights is an intentionally
obscure term for the commodification of water. And commodification is
the key to unrestrained exploitation. With commodification there can
be speculation. With speculation, expect high prices. But that's just
the tip of the exploitation tsunami.

The Michael Young –
Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions/Duke University
report Unbundling
Water Rights: A
Blueprint for Development of Robust Water Allocation Systems in the
Western United States proclaims that “the key difference
between the current and proposed governance systems is the
appointment of boards that take over many of the responsibilities
currently undertaken by the courts.” Now think about that… an
appointed board (The Nevada Drought Forum) recommends that appointed
boards take over the duties of the courts. This “take over”
implies that the greedy have been losing in the courts.

Repeatedly, the
Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) has been losing in the courts
in their attempts to take water from Rural Nevada with their
Groundwater Development Project (The
SNWA Watergrab).
One of the primary reasons Nevada Courts have ruled against SNWA has
been the potential detrimental effects on senior water rights
holders. So; now we have an appointed board (The Nevada Drought
Forum), essentially headed by SNWA General Manager John Entsminger,
recommending that we effectively get rid of senior water rights and
the courts. The implications are obvious.

But we don't have to
speculate. Unbundling has been practiced elsewhere. There are
examples worldwide. The Michael Young/Nicholas Institute/Duke
University Unbundling Water Rights report cites Australia as a
successful example. But not everyone considers the “unbundling”
of water in Australia to be such a success. In fact, ABC
Australia
reported that “The water market conspicuously failed to live up
to the expectations of the National Water Initiative, driving down
water storages in the Murray-Darling Basin to critically low levels
at a time when conservation should have been paramount. The dire
consequences for the environment, communities and economy of the
Basin were clear for all to see… For eight long years the nation's
most vital river was not allowed to flow into the sea.”

Now wait a minute.
The Michael Young report repeatedly uses the word “robust” to
define unbundling. They even define “robust” to mean; “that the
resultant water rights, allocation, and governance systems are
designed to work well during times of extreme stress.” Of course,
they didn't define what “work well” means. Allow me to help. It
appears “work well” in Australia's case means outside investors
made lots of money.

A large number of
offshore players have been quite active in Australia's water market.
But the greedy have been keen on covering their tracks. Australian
water law prohibits public access to details on water rights holders.

Back in the days of
water privatization; foreign companies came in and bought up water
companies and did a poor job of delivering water to consumers at
hyper-inflated prices. Now, with unbundled water rights, foreign
companies can simply buy up water rights and sell them back to
consumers at hyper-inflated prices. The big difference is that now
those companies don't have to deliver any water. All they have to do
is speculate. In other words, unbundling is actually easier to
exploit than privatization.

And what about the
Michael Young/Nicholas Institute/Duke University Unbundling Water
Rights report that claims that unbundling will “improve
environmental outcomes”? The claim sounds impressive, but there
wasn't any explanation of how this would inevitably happen because of
unbundling. Moreover, Adrian Walsh of the University of New England,
in The Commodification
of the Public Service of Water: A Normative Perspective,
states: “Commodification will, in most cases, be at odds with
commonly endorsed environmental values and will limit any
government's ability to act in an environmentally sensitive and
sustainable manner.” Admittedly, the Unbundling Water Rights
report did mention that the environment could be protected if Nevada
writes separate “plans” (laws) to protect the environment. But
don't expect any significant environmental protections in a State
with a Republican Governor, Senate, and House. (Of course, we didn't
expect the Democrats to protect us either. The last Democratic
candidate for Governor was a former head of SNWA.)

So, after
Australia's environmental misery with unbundling, commodification's
bad reputation, and no foreseeable responsible environmental
legislation in Nevada; could Michael Young be whitewashing
the potential environmental risks? It certainly looks like it. And if
so, this casts doubt on the whole Unbundling Water Rights
report to Nevada.

Michael Young
recommends in the Unbundling Water Rights report that these
new policies be “rolled out quickly” in Nevada. And why? So that
we can be “leaders”. He also recommends that; “Rather than
preparing a single integrated water resource bill for consideration
by the Nevada's Legislature, it may be more appropriate to prepare
separate bills”. And why? No reason given. These look like “Shock
Doctrine” tactics – which are to wait for a crisis to ram through
exploitative laws that benefit only the greedy. And if they separate
these bills, it will be even more difficult for Nevadans to fight
them.

Astonishingly,
Nevada's State Engineers haven't simply waited
for this “Shock Doctrine” water crisis. Actually, they have
historically enabled it by over-allocating water rights
in Nevada. In defense on the Nevada State Engineers, they haven't
really had the political power to say no. But in places like Diamond
Valley, where the USGS claims that sustainable use is about 35,000
acre feet per year, State Engineers have allocated 70,000 acre feet
per year, and actual use may be as high as 100,000 acre feet per
year! Disastrously, this water crisis was enabled by those who were
supposed to protect us from this very thing.

It appears that
Nevada bureaucrats have created a water crisis which our politicians
are now being enticed to make worse by passing bills to further
enable unrestrained exploitation.

...But it's even
less democratic than that. The Michael Young Unbundling Water
Rights report states: “Under existing legislation… the state
engineer could declare a groundwater resource to be a critical
management area and could require preparation of and implement a
water resource sharing plan… the state engineer would appear to
have sufficient authority to pilot test the proposed right system in
the Diamond Valley and the Humboldt Basin.”

In other words,
initially, we the people don't have any say in this comprehensive
change in Nevada water law. Of course, the Michael Young/Nicholas
Institute/Duke University Unbundling Water Rights report
explains that an election could be held after five years – where a
majority of water rights holders could change things back to
senior/junior water rights. But there isn't even a mention of any
options for those with minority opinion. It's like the lamb and the
pack of wolves voting on what to have for dinner. If senior water
rights holders realize they've been taken advantage of; they likely
won't be able to go to court, they will likely be in the minority in
the valley, and if foreign speculators buy up junior water rights in
their basin, senior water rights holders could eventually be in the
minority to foreign water investors, hedge funds, or even big cities.

But the water users
most likely to suffer from unbundling are the small family farms.
Anthony S. Kiem's article Drought
and Water Policy in Australia concludes; “there are also
some significant limitations and the people and industries that are
negatively impacted by water trading are hit hard.” And; “However,
these benefits are limited to the larger, well-informed irrigators at
the expense of the smaller “family farm” organizations”... I
wouldn't vote for that. But nobody gets to.

In the Humboldt
Basin, the Michael Young Unbundling Water Rights report
recommends; “the existing authority (the 15-person Humboldt River
Basin Water Authority) be disbanded and replaced.” Now I'm pretty
sure no one on that existing authority voted to be reduced to an
advisory position on a “community reference panel.” This takeover
is unnecessary. It is effectively a coup d'état
that seizes power away from local control and puts it in the hands of
the State politicians and bureaucrats that got us into this crisis!

...But at least the
former board of the Humboldt River Basin Water Authority will still
have some input – unlike environmentalists and Native
Americans – that didn't even get mentioned.

Of course, the
Michael Young/Nicholas Institute/Duke University Unbundling Water
Rights report did include some good ideas. Nevada's water
resource plan should:

“Allow
water account holders to carry forward as many unused water
allocations as desired from one season to the next.”

“Require
all significant water use to be metered and recorded in a robust
accounting system.”

“Discourage
intentional overuse by setting the penalty for a water account
deficit of more than 21 continuous days at three times the cost of
restoring the account to a zero balance.”

These are good
ideas. But we don't have to unbundle water rights to accomplish them.

Nevada has been
offered three spoons of sugar to go with our tainted Kool Aid.

We need to realize
the obvious: The long-term answers to our water issues do not include
selling it off to anyone who wants to buy it.

Allow me to
speculate for a moment:

What if this
“unbundling” process is really a surreptitious effort by the big
cities to buy up Rural water rights for cheap? What if the big cities
and the speculators have devised a way to copy the Los Angeles buy up
of Owens Valley water by purchasing those water rights on the open
market? What if this whole unbundling scheme is all a scam to force
the hyper-exploitation of Rural Nevada?

For some unexplained
reason, the Michael Young/Nicholas Institute/Duke University
Unbundling Water Rights report states; “Well written plans
give priority to the water needed for conveyance.” And they define
conveyance as; “water delivered to other systems or states”. This
one statement reveals the blatant bias of this report. They want us
to accept that water to be shipped out of a basin should have
priority over water that stays in the basin. A basic understanding of
sustainability dictates that exported water should have the lowest
priority. One can't sustain an environment, or an economy, when the
highest priority is shipping out the deserts' most valuable resource
– water. So, why would Michael Young want to give priority to the
water “needed” for conveyance? He didn't say. But maybe it has
something to do with the financial support he received.

The Michael
Young/Nicholas Institute/Duke University Unbundling Water Rights
report was funded by:

Bechtel
Foundation – founded and funded by Stephen D. Bechtel Jr.,
co-owner of Bechtel Corporation. That's right, the company known for
big engineering projects, including water
pipelines. And most telling; the same Bechtel that was thrown
out of Bolivia by rioting citizens for their privatized water
company that was accused of price gouging and deficient water
deliveries.

These foundations
have done many good deeds. Their general intentions are good. But
there is no guarantee that these foundations are above reproach on
every issue. These are not grass roots organizations.
And it only makes sense that the best place to hide bad intentions is
in an organization delivering on good intentions. Considered
separately, these financial supporters (excluding the Bechtel
Foundation) don't arouse many suspicions. However, when considered
together (along with the unrestrained exploitation recommendations of
the report), one might feel compelled to question the integrity of
those who donated money to support this report – and of course, the
integrity of those who wrote this report.

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Congratulations to
Tom Manaugh and Said Majdi for their MIT award for a desalination
alternative to the SNWA Watergrab. It's good to see that their
concept is very similar to one I
have been proposing for years now. Maybe somebody will pay
attention now.

In their comments
section (on one of the last posts), they suggested that the solar
power facility to run the desalination plant be located near Hoover
Dam to utilize the Dam's underutilized power lines.

May I suggest a PV
solar power facility on Lake Mead. There are two good
reasons for doing this: One, the solar facility would shade a part of
Lake Mead, thus reducing evaporation losses. And two, no pristine
desert valley would have to be bulldozed to accommodate the facility.

The extra costs for
building a floating solar facility could be covered by the monies
collected from delivering the conserved water.

And some of the
power generated could be traded for water from desalination
facilities on (or off) the Coast.

SNWA could enter
into agreements with Coastal communities whereas; the coastal
community would pay for the desalination facility, and SNWA would
provide the electrical power to desalinate the ocean water.
Consequently; those Coastal communities could deliver water to their
customers for far less, and SNWA could trade for more water from the
Colorado River for the cost of generating the power to desalinate
Coastal water.

Of course, there is
one hurdle to cover. The SNWA and the Coastal community would have to
pitch in to help desalinate
farm runoff waste water for reuse on California farms (who might
otherwise lose out in this Colorado River water trade).

...And since the PV
solar power facility doesn't have to be solely owned by SNWA, other
interested communities (such as Phoenix or Tuscon) could join in to
pay for it – and receive a proportional amount of water from the
Colorado River.

Friday, August 14, 2015

Instead
of spending billions
to get more water, the
SNWA should be earning
money to get more water. And
instead of being the Watergrab super-villain, the
SNWA could be the water
conservation super-hero.

Hereisan opportunity to absorb
the energy that would have gone into evaporating
water off of Lake Mead –and instead
converting it into
electricity. Here's an
idea that's way better than California's shade balls.

Presently,
Southern Nevada gets
300,000 acre feet per year from the Colorado River. And
an estimated 900,000
acre feeta
year of water evaporate
off of Lake Mead! Yes,
that's three times what Southern Nevada uses that just drifts away on
the winds. If the
SNWA could prevent just 1
percent of that
evaporation,
Southern Nevada could get an
extra 9,000 acre feet more
per year from the Colorado
River – and with return
flow credits, that would
amount to about 14,000
acre feet per year more. That's about 3 percent more water for
Southern Nevada. Not a
huge amount of water, but definitely significant.

...What
would be hugehowever;
is thatthe SNWA
could do it at no cost (in the long term) to ratepayers. In
fact, with solar power
arrays, there
is money to be earned. Imagine that; more
water andlower
water bills. Moreover,
solar power generation on
Lake Mead means that
pristine desert
valleys
don't have to be bulldozed to
install solar power.
Win – win – win.

Lake
Mead covers an area of about 250 square miles. A
solar array big enough to cover 1 percent of Lake Mead would be about
2.5 square miles. That's
big enough to generate up
to 700 MW.

And
it wouldn't be muchmore expensive
to do. The floating
platforms to mount the
solar arrays to can be
cheaply and sustainably
made, with a foam bottom
and a solid top for the
floor of the platform. Each
modular platform
array can be tied to its neighbor platform to form ascalable reconfigurable
platform network.

And
since Lake
water will be directly in contact with the platform bottom surfaces,
there will be no water/air interface, which
means essentially no
evaporation under the
platforms.

For
protection from storms, it
would be wise to build wave
break platforms
surrounding the solar
power network. These wave
breaksshould
be capable
of eventually
generatingwave
power to help pay for
themselves. Moreover,
the wave break facilities would shade some
more of Lake Mead, thus
further reducing
evaporative losses.

The wave break platforms could also be made inexpensive, portable,
and modular – about the size of a semi trailer. Which means the
overall shape and size of the wave brake facility would be determined
by spacers between the wave break platforms. Again, scalable and
reconfigurable.

Of
course; Lake Mead is a National Recreation Area, and the Federal
Government might initially be hesitant to build solar facilities on
the water. But since every acre of water with solar arrays on it
would mean
an acre of (usually) Federal
land that won't have to be bulldozed for
solar arrays, it seems
very likely they will come around. Lake Mead is a man-made reservoir.
So, floating platforms do
not have
the environmental impact of land-based
solar arrays on natural
desert ecosystems.
And since thisfacility's
water conservationcould
result in
reduced water transfers from Federal lands (such as the SNWA
Watergrab of Central Nevada), solar
arrays on lakes could lead
to much better environmental resultsoverall.

The
facility would consist of modular
platform units
that could form a scalable
and configurable network of Photovoltaic
(PV)
solar array platforms, surrounded by modular
units of a scalable wave
break / wave power generation network. From the air it would look
like a distorted
checkerboard of
platforms and water, inside
a circular wall
(with an entrance that
consists of an opening with an offset
wall).

The
bottoms of the platforms should be just
slightly convex to
completely sink into the water at the interface. Since the water will
be directly in contact with the platform bottom surface, there will
be no water/air interface, and therefore essentially no
evaporation under the
platform. Consequently,
there is
a multi-use incentive to
make
the bottom of the platforms
wider than the area where the solar panels are mounted; to reduce
evaporation andmake the platform more
stable. Moreover, since
the solar arrays would
be installed at an angle near 36 degrees (latitude),
some shade from the panels will shade an area larger than the solar
arrayfootprint
– further reducing
evaporative losses.

The
platforms would be tied both to the floor of the lake bed and to each
other. And because
of the encircling wave break, the solar platform network won't have
to be as robust.

The wave break
barrier could be made modular also. From the top, the wave break
modules would appear rectangular. The overall shape of the wave brake
facility would be determined by spacers between the wave break
platforms. The wave break facility could be perfectly circular, or
meander about – like a coastline.

Of
course, the wave break barriers
would have to be strong
enough to absorb the energy of the waves hitting it. Which
means the wave break platforms would be more massive than the solar
platforms. At water level from the outside, this wave
break barrier wall might
look imposing (at about 10
feet high) – but it
could also serve as a barrier to vandals (and zombie
terrorists). To reduce the
imposing feel, the wave
break facility could be painted white to look more like Lake
Mead shoreline from
a distance. To give the
wave break a
recreational function; it could
also function as a bicycle, foot, and
skate path around the
solar
facility. At
the facility entry,
the path could lead radially inward
around the opening in the
wave break. Inside the
wave break, the path could be used as a marina walkway
– with slips for boats along the water inside of the path. The
path wouldn't drop that 10 feet however. Which
means the path would
double as
a shade for pedestrians on the walkway beneath.

To
further the wave break's friendly impression, water slides and dive
boards could be installed around the outside edge. Also,
charging stations could be
located around the perimeter of
the wave break facility –
available to charge all electric boats with power generated at
the facility –
for free.

Wave
power generation could be achieved at
the wave breaks either by
having floats that move up and down on
guide rods like a bead on
a string(or
floats on arms) right at the break.
When the water hits the break, it would slam the floats much farther
up the wall of the
break than the height of the wave. And the trough of the wave would
drop
the float even lower too.

The wave power
generation equipment doesn't necessarily have to be installed
immediately. But the wave break barriers should be designed so that
they can be easily installed later.

And
as far as the solar power is concerned; Micro
Inverters that
function independently for each solar panel would
be ideal
for the PV solar network.
Modularity within
modularity means everything is scalable. And bonus;most of this
should be off the shelf hardware.

Phase 2:
The Next Step - an Island

Once the
platform network reaches a certain size, a small crew of people would
be needed to stay at the facility to construct, monitor, and maintain
things. The crew will need water treatment for both their drinking
water and sewage. Drinking water shouldn't be too much of an issue.
But sewage treatment on the lake might be. Especially if the goal is
to get the sewage to the point that it could be used as fish food.
Multiple steps would be necessary. But it shouldn't be impossible,
because all we're really trying to do is speed up nature's recycling
process. (By the way; it's my opinion that speeding up nature's
recycling process is the key to feeding our growing population.)

A conventional
sewage treatment facility surrounded by concentric rings of man-made
wetlands ought to do most of the work.

A company called
Floating Island International has developed what they call BioHaven
Floating Islands – which “biomimic natural floating islands
to create a “concentrated” wetlands effect.” In other words,
they've figured out how to further clean sewage treatment effluent to
the point it might end up cleaner than the water in Lake Mead. Think
about that; in lined ponds, treated sewage could be turned into
microscopic life that could be eaten by larger forms of life, that
could eventually feed bait fish, that could be set free near the
Island to feed game fish. And the byproduct is Lake Mead water gets
cleaned.

The Island's
sewage treatment plant could be located towards the center of the
solar platform network – away from sensitive noses. Of course, it
would be enclosed. But out there, people wouldn't even see it. They
would just appreciate it – in their clean water, productive soil,
and fish food.

That “fish
food” could be used to entice game fish to hang around the platform
network. The edges of the platforms could even be designed to provide
fish habitat. Which means the crew could supplement their diets with
protein from their own poo-fed fish. This may sound disgusting. But
done right; it would be superbly efficient. Eventually, the
inhabitants might even want to install a net below the wave break
facility with a weave large enough to let small fish in but small
enough to hold in fish large enough to catch.

...And that
productive soil would be great for greenhouse garden platforms (which
would also be useful for shading the Lake). Yes, some of that
recycled poo could be used as fertilizer for a garden. Again, this
may sound filthy, but it is pretty much identical to what happens in
the Environment now – only with a minimized number of steps.

On Lake Mead;
one could grow food all year in a greenhouse. It doesn't get that
cold in the Winter. Greenhouses could radically
limit evaporative losses. And high temperatures in the Summer
could be dealt with by pumping cool water from the deep into heat
exchangers below the greenhouses.

Water could be
pumped up from the deep to cool the floors and air of the floating
platforms. This water would pass though heat exchangers – and never
come in contact with air, so there would be no evaporation losses.
Unless of course, the Islanders choose to release that deep water
near the surface to cool the surface water near the Island – thus
further reducing evaporation losses on the surface of the lake.
(Plus, by being able to regulate the water surface temperatures near
the Island, there are more options for controlling algae blooms.)

With a little
intelligent valving control, water could be used to both heat and
cool living areas. Water could be pumped into the floors, roofs, and
walls of the buildings. In the Winter, the water in the roof would be
heated by the day sun, and circulated to water storage areas in the
walls and floors. And in the Summer, cool water from the deep can be
circulated in the floors, walls, and the roofs. This, combined with
passive solar heating, would leave little need for heaters or air
conditioners – with no evaporation.

In addition,
thermal mass aquariums could provide multiple assets. Water could be
pumped into aquariums to provide fresh water for bait fish
hatcheries. The aquariums could be placed near the passive solar
windows to provide thermal
mass for living spaces. In the Summer, the aquariums would be in
the shade. But as temperatures drop, so does the angle of the sun. In
the Winter, the low angle sun would shine directly on the aquariums.
Since water has the highest heat capacity of all common solids and
liquids, it can take the place of thick earthen walls seen in
sustainable earthbound buildings (such as Earthships). And if the
water gets too hot for the bait fish, their water can be pumped away
to heat the rest of the building – and cool lake water pumped in.

Phase 3:
Transformation to a Resort

Once the
infrastructure of power, water, sewage, and food production is in
place; the Island can be made to feel like an Island Resort.

It is important
to consider aesthetics. Many people might see the Solar Island as an
eyesore on a National Recreation Area. These people have to be
convinced that there is something in it for them. How about an
on-water emergency response post? How about a Solar Powered Island
Marina? How about techno-fantasy island resort?

People tend to
favor places they can go. And with the right image, this Island could
become a tourist attraction – kind of like the SNWA's Springs
Preserve – only cool.

While it is true
that most people would be willing to put up with a huge solar array
on Lake Mead – if it meant more water. Why just put up with it? Why
not make the place desirable? Why not make it look at little like an
actual island? In fact, why not make it a destination – a resort
even? But not just any resort. This resort would be for people
willing to enjoy what low-impact, sustainable, post-modern livability
looks like. Or then again, maybe they'll just want to play volley
ball on the beach at the Water Park.

I envision a
hidden resort, like some secret island in a James Bond movie. Once
you enter through the passage, there is a marina with a boardwalk
that leads to a row of buildings that appear to be a combination of
Santorini Greece and a fish tank. White! But with lots of passive
solar windows – facing South, towards the Marina – which would be
on the South side of the Island for that very reason. Businesses
located here would be plainly visible to people just coming “ashore.”
Through the windows; one could see a restaurant though one window, a
convenience store in another, an on-water Ranger Station in another,
and a seminar being held in yet another. There may be two or three
floors, but each floor is set back, so that every floor can have a
patio. And the top roofs are all patios with shades above them (that
roll up in the Winter).

A company called
Dutch Docklands has
already been working on this. They already build homes on the water,
and are poised to build islands – complete with sandy beaches and
golf courses. Obviously, the golf course in this project would be
using artificial turf, but the course would also be covering a
section of the Lake to minimize evaporation. So imagine that; a golf
course that not only doesn't use water, but actually saves water.

Fishing could be
promoted. And, of course, visitors sewage could be collected for
recycling into fish food. But rather than hiding this information, it
could be promoted as something to be experienced to inspire hope for
the future.

Moreover, the
charging stations placed around the perimeter of the Island would
remove some of the perceived impediments to electric boats on Lake
Mead – thus further cleaning up Lake Mead water.

If the Island
population grows, staff facilities (homes) and guest facilities
(rooms) could also be installed on the North end of the Island.
Another opening in the wave break could be added to accommodate
another Marina on the Northwest end of the Island. The passive solar
windows facing South on this side of the Island would face a golf
course, tennis courts, or other forms of recreational mini-islands –
such as a skate park, soccer field, basketball courts, or even
another beach. And to the North side of the homes could be another
set of greenhouses.

I don't envision
this Island to house more than a few dozen residents and guests. Too
many people and the sewage treatment facilities would be overwhelmed.
But a community the size of small village ought to be able to live
somewhat self-sufficiently here – and provide power even if Lake
Mead goes dead pool.

From Power
Plant to Proto-Arcology

An arcology is
Paolo
Soleri's concept of cities which embody the fusion of
architecture with ecology. As previously mentioned, this Island would
not be a city. And this “arcology” concept is not like the closed
arcologies mentioned in Paolo Bacigalupi's novel “The
Water Knife.” This system is not designed so that its
inhabitants can hide away from the rest of the world – like some
kind of Elysium.
This arcology concept exists help all people, to not harm the
environment, to help the local ecosystem, and to sustainably support
its inhabitants. Ideally, this could become a good neighbor arcology.

But why?

We've only got
one planet, and it's in serious trouble. We are beginning to face the
shock and awe of the overwhelming consequences to our Environment
from humanity's collective careless actions. We are beginning to
realize that we are overdue for the biggest attitude adjustment in
human history. We have to learn how to live
differently. Many of us have foreseen it. We all need to prepare.

It's time to
stop ignoring the externalities. Everything we do needs to be
considerate of the fact that we need to be better prepared at being
sustainable – so that we can be more sustainable planet-wide –
and keep life on Earth healthy. Everything we design needs to be more
thoroughly thought out. Every building needs to be a kind of
Earthship. Every structure needs
to contribute to Life on Earth in as many ways as possible. That
means power plants too.

Of course, only
one Solar Island means only 9,000 acre feet of water
per year gets conserved. It would take as many as 15 Solar Islands to
conserve as much water as SNWA pipe
dreams of getting from Central Nevada's deserts (during a
drought). This Solar Island concept could end up becoming many big
projects. But so what! If these Islands are earning money and are a
decent place to visit, somebody will want to build more.

I would think
that Pahrump
(or even Phoenix)
would be very interested in a project like this. And if not, there
are likely other States – or even private companies who would
willingly invest in waterandsolar
power.

And the reason I
don't see much resistance is because everyone can benefit. Done
right, this could be a way to keep lake elevations up. If
participants banked some of the conserved water in the Lake to
prepare for droughts, that would mean more water for the Lake. And if
there's more water in the lake, there's more shoreline. Everyone
wants that. Solar Islands could even be installed to keep Lake Mead
levels up high enough for water to run the electric turbines in
Hoover Dam.

This development
could all happen very fast – much sooner than the expected growth
of solar power generation – because the value of the water
conserved can be factored into the cost/benefit equation.

I predict a
solar-powered arcology rush on lakes on the Colorado River.

The ideas I have
published here are all open source. But they're not all my
ideas. Check out Seasteading.

About Me

I am Western Shoshone, native to Nevada. I have a degree in Electrical Engineering and ten years experience as a Systems Engineer. I am also the author of the book "lifehacking," available at amazon.com